Crispy Potato Soft Tacos

Ahh Taco Bell, that guilty pleasure of omnivores and vegetarians alike. I don’t remember the last time I ate there, but as we all know, they have multiple vegetarian options and even a few for vegans who find themselves stuck on an interstate or in a food desert with few or no other options.

When I was vegetarian and still transitioning to the vegan I am today, the Crispy Potato Soft Taco was my junk food of choice. Perhaps some of you remember it from your own pregan days; crisp, bite-sized potatoes covered in cheese and lettuce, smothered in a spicy cream sauce.

I have no idea what reminded me of those tacos. Maybe I drove by a Taco Bell and my subconscious remembered. Perhaps my arteries were like “Hey, why don’t you clog us anymore?”. Either way, I was motivated to recreate those old friends of mine, and so I present to you: The VEGAN Crispy Potato Soft Taco!

The potatoes are crisp (it would be false advertising in they weren’t!) and flavorful, but not spicy. The small amount of heat comes from the adobo cashew cream sauce (recipe below), and if you want to add more heat, this is where you should do it. The slivers of crispy lettuce are my nod to vegetables, and they add a beautiful splash of color.

The ingredients list is fairly short, but it does contain a specialty sea salt: Spanish Rosemary. Instead of saying something goes together “like peas and carrots”, it should be “like roasted potatoes and spanish rosemary sea salt.” Honestly, I will never again eat roasted potatoes in any dish unless they have this salt on them, it’s that good! I encourage you to visit your local spice shop or look online, because you wont be disappointed.

Crispy Potato Soft Tacos

Serves

Ingredients

1 medium/large potato, cubed into small bite-sized pieces (you want to be able to fit 2-3 into your mouth at once!)

Olive oil

Spanish rosemary sea salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon dried parsley

15 cashews

1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce (canned)

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon non-dairy creamer

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Crispy lettuce, shredded

4 soft taco shells

Cilantro for sprinkling

Preparation

Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and dried parsley. Bake at 350 degrees until crispy (about 25 minutes, stirring once). Broil for the last minute or so if you want to add more crisp.

In a blender, combine everything else (except the lettuce, cilantro and shells), and blend until smooth.

To assemble the tacos, layer 1/4 of the potatoes, shredded lettuce and a heavy drizzle of the adobo cashew cream sauce, then sprinkle with cilantro. Enjoy!

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A passionate defender of animal welfare, Barbara lives in Colorado with her husband, 3 rescue dogs and a rescue kitty. Raising awareness about animal cruelty and being permanently covered in pet fur doesn’t leave much free time, but what little she has is used to create vegan recipes and meals that will make even the most hardcore omnivore drool. Read more at That Was Vegan? and follow Barbara on Twitter @thatwasvegan.

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